We’ve just passed the halfway point of 2013, and here are a couple of thoughts to help you finish the year strong. The average growth rate across all U.S. small businesses last year was 8 percent, according to Libby Bierman, an analyst at Sageworks. I’m proud to say that my clients’ average growth rate for that same period was 18 percent. You might be interested to know that there is a specific reason for this, and it’s three words.